


This Isn't Happening

by Moshimma



Series: Why Wouldn’t We? [3]
Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: AU - Kiss of Life, Angst, Cheating, Crying, Hugging, M/M, Nini being suspicious because she knows something is up, Ricky being a terrible liar, Sobbing, Trust Issues, and she's right, and terrible boyfriend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26658925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moshimma/pseuds/Moshimma
Summary: As soon as Nini realized she got to come back home for a while, she was immeditely happier. She enjoyed following her dreams, but she hated leaving her family and friends behind. When she finally got off the plane, she expected everyone to be there, open arms just like every other time.Instead, no one was there. Not even her boyfriend. So, she suspected something was wrong.
Relationships: Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts
Series: Why Wouldn’t We? [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1933018
Comments: 5
Kudos: 41





	This Isn't Happening

Nini brushed her hair down, staring at her reflection on the mirror. She sighed, pretending not to be waiting for a phone call. Or a text. Or literally anything other than complete silence. Sadly, nothing was coming through. She vaguely tried to think about the night before, climbing out of the plane, picking her luggage up, and walking out to find her moms waiting for her. She somewhat remembered asking her mom if they let anyone else know she was coming back, but was unclear about what they answered.

Still, she expected for at least her boyfriend to be there.

The phone suddenly moved, a notification sound emitting. Nini snapped back into reality and immediately ran to it, answering it without even checking the screen.

"Hello?" she asked, somewhat excited.

"Nini?" she heard someone say from the other line.

She furrowed her brows, trying to recignize the voice. She took the phone away for a second, to check. In bold letters, E.J.'s name was on display.

"E.J.?"

"Yeah, I heard you're back!"

" _Uhh..._ who told you?"

"...does it matter?"

Nini shook her head, "No, I guess not. What do you want?"

"I just wanted to check how you were doing?"

"Really?"

" _Um_ , honestly, I was checking to see if Ricky was with you... He took my Switch controller yesterday night and I can't reach him."

"Wait, you and Ricky hang out now?"

E.J. scoffed, "Yeah, didn't he tell you? He came over yesterday and we played Cuphead, but he took my blue controller."

"I'll ket him know when he I reach him."

"Oh, and tell him he left his charger on my kitchen counter."

"Wait, if he doesn't have a charger, how would we reach him?"

Nini heard E.J. let out a gasp, " _Ooooh,_ that makes sense."

"Bye, E.J."

She hung up and put the phone down on her bed. She looked around, grabbing her shoes by the doorway. After tossing a jacket on her back, she headed out.

———

She walked up to the door and knocked somewhat harshly. She immediately regretted the force she used but it was too late. A few seconds went by, and she questioned if she should be going away instead of staying put.

However, right as she came to the conclusion to leave, the door opened. Behind it, Ricky's dad looked at her confused, "Nini?! You're back?"

"Hi, yeah. I came back yesterday. Is Ricky home?"

"Definitely, I think he's stll asleep."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Bowen."

Nini gave him a hug and walked inside, slightly impatient. She walked over the stairs and immeditely ran over to Ricky's bedroom, opening the door without even knocking.

Ricky was still laying down, half-asleep. Nini jumped on his bed, hugging him, "Good morning!"

The boy's opened suddenly, completely surprised, "Nini? What's going on?"

"I'm back, Ricky."

"What? Like _back_ back?"

"Y-yeah!"

Ricky smiled, "Oh! Wait, when did you get back?"

"Literally last night."

His face suddenly turned slightly red, "Oh shoot! I forgot, didn't I?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

"I'm sorry, I don't know why my alarm didn't wake me."

Nini rolled her eyes, joking around, "What, did you forget it somewhere?"

"Nah, I haven't even gone out in a while."

She tilted her head, confused.

Nini had a bad habit for lying. After how horrible things ended up with E.J., it could be say she is untrustworthy. She just calls it suspicious.

She pressed further, "Ricky, since when are you and E.J. friends?"

The boy squirmed slightly, "I'm sorry, where is this coming from?"

"It's a yes or no question."

He lifted himself up, sitting with his back straightened, "Uhh, I guess we are? He came over yesterday, so."

She cleared her throat, "He called me to let me know he had your charger. _In his house._ "

"Right, I went to his house. Sorry, I guess I'm still half-asleep."

"Yeah..."

He moved out of the bed, careful not to push Nini. She stayed silent, faking a smile. She felt like something was off, but she didn't know if she could push.

She tested the waters, "So, what did you two do?"

Ricky bent over and looked for some pants, "I'm sorry?"

"You and E.J., what did you do?"

"Why do you ask?"

"You're hanging out with my ex, I'm allowed a little confusion."

"Okay, yeah. We played Overcooked on my Switch. You know, I think you've played it with me before."

She squinted, quickly looking around for E.J.'s controller.

Nini sighed, "Hey, do you have chapstick somewhere?"

" _Um.._ I think I have some off-brand lip balm in my bag, check it."

She looked next to the bed and found his backpack thrown on the floor. She grabbed it quickly and opened it, rumagging through its contents.

After just a few seconds, she found it, "Ricky, what's this?"

Ricky turned around and stared at her hand. She was holding onto E.J.'s blue controller firmly, " _Uhh,_ it's my Switch controller..."

"Your Switch only has black controllers, from what I remember."

He sighed, "I... bought new ones..."

She cleared her throat and stood up, facing him, "Ricky, you might be a good actor, but you're terrible at lying."

He placed his palm behind his neck, rubbing it slightly, "It's E.J.'s controller. I guess we played on his Switch, or something, why are you making this into a thing?"

"Don't patronize me. Something's going on, isn't it."

Ricky's hand glazed over his hickey near his back, making sure it was covered, "What are you talking about?"

"I don't know. But I know _something_ isn't adding up."

"Why?"

Nini turned around, starting to think, "Well, E.J. called me to ask me if I was with you, telling me you had _his_ controller after going to _his_ place last night. Aaand... he said someone told him I was home. Which is kind of weird, because the only person I told was _you._ "

"Nini-"

"Which means that instead of coming to the airport to pick me up, you spent the night playing Cuphead at _E.J. Caswell's_ house. And you didn't tell any of my friends I was coming back home, you told _E.J. Caswell._ My ex."

"Nini-"

"Which- you're allowed to do- but why would you lie?"

Ricky but his lower lip, unsure of what to say. He felt like he could chop it off with the pressure he was putting down on it.

Nini continued, begining to walk in circles, "Why, would you lie about it, Ricky?"

Her mind began to wander off, almost immediately to the most absurd places. She ran through every scenario she could think of, crossing off her list of possibilities in her mind.

All of them were wrong, and she knew it, but she couldn't stop herself from spiraling.

She stopped and turned to Ricky, staring at him. She honed in on everything she could think of.

Then, she finally realized.

"Ricky, when was the last time I came here?"

His breath was shaky, "W-well, I think it was 5 months ago, wasn't it."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

Ricky was holding on his breath, scared she had figured it out.

She furrowed her brows, leaving the room. She turned around the corner of the hallway, going into Ricky's bathroom.

Ricky followed her, "Nini, what's going on?"

"Shut up."

She looked down at the cabinet next to the sink. She opened the top drawer and moved around it, looking for the bottle.

"Nini, what are you looking for?"

"You _know_ what I'm looking for."

She moved different things inside the drawer, but she couldn't find the prescription bottle anywhere.

"Nini just-"

"Don't tell me to stop."

"I don't take Kissalatram anymore." 

She looked down in shame. Ricky stayed silent as he watched her.

Nini closed the drawer in one fell sweep. She held back tears and walked out of the bathroom, hitting Ricky's shoulder as she passed. He followed her as she started walking to his room, almost throwing the door on his face. She never looked up, sitting down at the foot of her boyfriend's bed.

It felt like years passed before she looked up and spoke again.

"Ricky, if I call Ashlyn and ask her if her cousin takes Kissalatram, what is she gonna say?"

"Nini, please don't-"

"Tell me I'm crazy. Tell me I'm being crazy, please."

Ricky kneeled down in front of her, setting his head on her knees, _"I'm sorry..."_

"My ex?! MY EX?! _E.J. Caswell?!_ Are you insane."

"I'm so sorry, please, Nini."

She shook her head and looked down at him, "Since when?"

He sniffed, still laying on her, "It's kind of complicated..."

"Ricky, _since when?_ "

"Well, a week before you left-"

She stood up and pushed him off, "A week before I left?"

"Let me explain, please! E.J. was about to reach his expiration, so I kissed him, but it wasn't anything. I didn't even want to do it, he was just really persistent."

_"A week before I left?"_

"Well, a few months ago I ran out of pills, and I got really scared I was gonna _die_ , so I went to his place, and I don't even know how it happened but... we just started kissing and-"

"Oh my God, shut up. Just, shut up."

Ricky tried to swipe the tears off his face, "I'm so sorry, please just-"

"How many times have you two...?"

"A-about two or three times, I guess. I never let it pass beyond kissing."

She scoffed, _"I'm glad to know you'll let my ex's tongue down your throat, just not let his hands down your pants."_

Ricky sniffed, his tears getting heavier, "I'm so sorry."

"Shut up."

They stayed silent, Ricky crying in the floor, while Nini stood still in the middle of his bedroom.

She tried to imagine she was literally anywhere else. In a stage, in her room, in the middle of a busy highway, _anywhere else._ Her mind kept her tears inside, refusing to cry. She took a second to breathe, getting an idea. She left the room quickly, and Ricky looked at the door as she left.

He stayed there, on the floor, crying. His lungs were running, gasping for breath every other second. He felt like his head was exploding, pressing on the small space of his skull. He couldn't even think for a second, confused and sad.

Then, Nini came back. She was holding the house's telephone, gesturing to Ricky.

"Call him."

Ricky looked up, grabbing the telephone, _"What?"_

"Call E.J. and tell him to come."

"I'm sorry?"

She kept her expression still, "Tell him you have his controller, tell him you need your charger, tell him you _need him_. I don't care. Just call him."

Ricky but his lips and tried to swipe some of his tears away. He held onto the telephone and began dialing E.J.'s number. His hands were shaking, making it harder, but he managed to do what Nini asked of him.

After just a few seconds, he heard E.J.'s voice through the other line.

Nini shook her head, listening.

"Yeah, E.J. I have your controller..."

She watched as his hands shook, trying to keep the object locked next to his ears.

"I'm fine, just come over."

His eyes closed, ashamed.

"Please."

Nini scoffed and looked away. She waited for Ricky to hang up.

"See ya."

Ricky tapped the red button on the telephone and sobbed silently, sitting down on his bed.

Nini nodded, "Now, we wait."

**Author's Note:**

> Okay y'all, for real, I'm kinda tired of everyone just shitting on Nini on this ship's fics. Like,,, do we forget she was the one who was getting the most mistreatment from these two in the show,,,,??? Like, she had more character development than E.J. lmao.


End file.
